Domingo de Bonechea
Domingo de Bonechea Andonaegui ( born August 8, 1713 Getaria, † October 1775 in Tautira, Tahiti ) was a navigator and explorer of the 18th century in the service of the Spanish crown.
The later Viceroy of Peru Manuel d' Amat i de Junyent (* 1704, † 1782 ) had already developed as a Spanish Governor of Chile 's ambition to create a counterweight to the spread of the emerging British hegemony in the South Pacific. Its clearly defined and stated aim was the conquest and occupation of the Pacific islands for the Spanish crown. No sooner had Amat in 1761 assumed the viceroyalty, he used his power to implement the oceanic visions and sent a total of four Spanish expeditions to the South Pacific. With the second ( 1772-1773 ) and third ( 1774-1775 ), he commissioned Boenechea.
First trip ( 1772-1773 )
On September 26, 1772 Bonechea stabbed from Callao to sea to reach Tahiti, which discovered the Englishman Samuel Wallis on June 21, 1767 Europe and James Cook visited in 1769. On his way there he ran to several islands of the Tuamotu Archipelago and the group of the Society Islands. On November 12, 1772, he anchored his frigate El Águila in the Baie de Tautira in Tahiti and baptized the settlement of the locals somewhat pompously: Santisima Cruz. The contacts with the islanders developed well. Boenechea let draw maps and request information from the inhabitants of Tahiti, he learned from the previous English expeditions.
On 20 December 1772, he left Tahiti and reached on February 21, 1773 Valparaíso. During this first trip Bonechea discovered several islands for Spain and gave them Spanish names ( but often they received from mariners of other nations other names ):
- Tauere - St. Simon and Jude
- Haraiki - San Quentin
- Anaa - All Saints, All Souls' Day in 1772.
- Mehetia - St. Kitts
- Tahiti - Amat December 1772.
- Moorea - Santo Domingo December 1772.
After his first expedition Bonechea published a book with the title: Relación de la navegación. Here he described the natives of Tahiti and their customs. He also translated parts of the indigenous vocabulary of the Polynesians in Castilian.
Second trip ( 1774-1775 )
The goal of his second trip was the annexation of Tahiti for the Spanish crown and the Christianization of the people commanded and supported by the Spanish king Charles the III. With two ships, the Aguila and Jupiter, Boenechea left Callao on 20 September 1774th The inhabitants Tahits gave him a warm welcome and suitable land for him to build a mission house. The tribal chiefs accepted the Spanish supremacy in a formal act [Note 1] As a sign of the Spanish hegemony was Boenechea build a large wooden cross with the inscription:
Bonechea died on January 20, 1775 in Tahiti and was buried before he founded the mission house. His captain Tomás de Gayangos ended the expedition in 1775.
As Amat in 1776 resigned his appointment as viceroy of Peru, Spain lost interest in the South Pacific and turned to other priorities. Thus also the endeavor failed, the islands of the South Pacific - to integrate the Spanish Kingdom - and especially Tahiti.
Also on his second voyage Boenechea discovered several islands and gave them Spanish names:
In the Tuamotu Archipelago:
- Tatakoto - San Narciso
- Tauere - San Simón y Judas
- Tekokota - Los Martires
- Hikueru - San Juan
- Haraiki - San Quintin
- Anaa - Todos los Santos
- Tahanea - San Julián
- Motutunga - San Blas
In the Society Islands: